Witness: Hamilton homeowner had committed arson before

HAMILTON — A witness in the case of two men charged with arson and murder in the fire that killed Hamilton firefighter Patrick Wolterman says the homeowner had set fire to the Pater Avenue house once before.

Lester Parker, 67, and his nephew William “Billy” Tucker, 46, are on trial for the fire at Parker’s Pater Avenue home that killed Wolterman on Dec. 28, 2015.

James Parker (no relation to Lester Parker), who is the ex-boyfriend of one of Parker’s daughters, told the jury Thursday that Lester Parker had set fire to the Pater Avenue home once before, in the summer of 2015, in order to collect insurance money.

Prosecutors say Lester Parker was “under water” financially in December 2015 and hatched a plan to have the house set on fire for insurance money while he and his wife were in Las Vegas. According to prosecutors, Tucker agreed to light the fire in exchange for payment in pills.